You would never know from watching President Trump’s impromptu press conference on Monday that he was at historic lows in the polls, is squabbling with key leaders of his own party and is still without a significant legislative accomplishment. What the president described was very much an alternate reality of an administration that deserves an A-plus for hurricane relief, is rescuing Americans in need of health care, is on the path to historic tax relief and has achieved so much despite an obstructionist opposition.

In many ways, the press conference was a 42-minute elaboration of a comment he made in the morning—“I’m not going to blame myself.”

Seventy-two years to the month since President Harry Truman put a “The buck stops here!” sign on his desk in the Oval Office, Trump made clear both in his remarks at a Cabinet meeting and at his press conference in the Rose Garden that others are to blame for any failings in his first nine months in office.

The comment came when he was trying to explain efforts by his former aide Steve Bannon to defeat some Republican senators. After stressing that he has “great relationships” with many senators, Trump said, “But we’re not getting the job done.” Almost immediately, he amended that to absolve himself. “I’m not going to blame myself, I’ll be honest. They are not getting the job done.” His emphasis clearly was on “they.”

With that, he brushed aside all criticism, describing a country responding with gratitude to his initiatives. “We are getting tremendous accolades,” he said. When a reporter noted he is getting a lot of criticism for his actions on health care, the president interjected, “And a lot of praise.”

Opposition by Democrats, he said, is “very unfair.” And suggestions of friction with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell? The creation of an unfair press. That was why McConnell stood by his side during the lengthy Rose Garden appearance. “Despite what we read, we are probably now … closer than ever,” said the president. He did not address the fact that it was his own tweets and criticisms of McConnell that had fueled the talk of friction. “My relationship with this gentleman is outstanding,” he said.

Much of the press conference was devoted to a defense of his own actions and suggestions he is out-performing his predecessors. He complained that “nobody wants to talk” about his successes, particularly his appointment of conservative judges. “There has never been anything like what we’ve been able to do together with judges,” he said.

He cast himself as the victim of Democrats, complaining “we have to go through hell because we have no Democrat support.” Trump did not miss a beat when a reporter reminded him that he had heavily criticized Obama for blaming Republicans for his problems in Congress. In 2012, Trump tweeted of Obama that “he can never take responsibility.” Trump contended this is different because Democrats in the Senate “are holding up every single nomination. They are obstructing.”

The most surprising moment of the press conference came when he contrasted himself with previous presidents—and specifically with Obama—contending that they had failed to call the families of fallen American soldiers. Trump has been criticized for remaining silent for the last 12 days since four American soldiers were killed in an ambush in Niger. Prodded to say something, Trump disclosed that he has written letters to the families but acknowledged he has not telephoned them since the deaths on Oct. 4.

He then talked about how tough it was on him to make those calls. “For me, that’s by far the toughest,” he said. And rather than accept any blame or criticism himself, he deflected attention onto his predecessor. “If you look at President Obama and other presidents, most of them didn’t make calls. A lot of them didn’t make calls.” Challenged later on this statement, he amended it. “President Obama, I think, probably did sometimes, and maybe sometimes he didn’t. I don’t know. That’s what I was told.”

Obama, whose aides flooded Twitter with objections to Trump’s contention, made those calls while also going to Dover to be there when the remains of slain soldiers returned.

"President Trump signed a sweeping spending bill Friday afternoon, averting another partial government shutdown. The action came after Trump had declared a national emergency in a move designed to circumvent Congress and build additional barriers at the southern border, where he said the United States faces 'an invasion of our country.'"

Source:

REDIRECTS $8 BILLION

Trump Declares National Emergency

6 days ago

THE DETAILS

"President Donald Trump on Friday declared a state of emergency on the southern border and immediately direct $8 billion to construct or repair as many as 234 miles of a border barrier. The move — which is sure to invite vigorous legal challenges from activists and government officials — comes after Trump failed to get the $5.7 billion he was seeking from lawmakers. Instead, Trump agreed to sign a deal that included just $1.375 for border security."

Source:

COULD SOW DIVISION AMONG REPUBLICANS

House Will Condemn Emergency Declaration

1 weeks ago

THE DETAILS

"House Democrats are gearing up to pass a joint resolution disapproving of President Trump’s emergency declaration to build his U.S.-Mexico border wall, a move that will force Senate Republicans to vote on a contentious issue that divides their party. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said Thursday evening in an interview with The Washington Post that the House would take up the resolution in the coming days or weeks. The measure is expected to easily clear the Democratic-led House, and because it would be privileged, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) would be forced to put the resolution to a vote that he could lose."

Source:

MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, DRUG FORFEITURE FUND

Where Will the Emergency Money Come From?

1 weeks ago

THE DETAILS

"ABC News has learned the president plans to announce on Friday his intention to spend about $8 billion on the border wall with a mix of spending from Congressional appropriations approved Thursday night, executive action and an emergency declaration. A senior White House official familiar with the plan told ABC News that $1.375 billion would come from the spending bill Congress passed Thursday; $600 million would come from the Treasury Department's drug forfeiture fund; $2.5 billion would come from the Pentagon's drug interdiction program; and through an emergency declaration: $3.5 billion from the Pentagon's military construction budget."

Source:

TRUMP SAYS HE WILL SIGN

House Passes Funding Deal

1 weeks ago

THE DETAILS

"The House passed a massive border and budget bill that would avert a shutdown and keep the government funded through the end of September. The Senate passed the measure earlier Thursday. The bill provides $1.375 billion for fences, far short of the $5.7 billion President Trump had demanded to fund steel walls. But the president says he will sign the legislation, and instead seek to fund his border wall by declaring a national emergency."